apocalyptic
/əˈpɒ.kə.lɪp.tɪk/adjective, noun
apocalyptic is spelled A-P-O-C-A-L-Y-P-T-I-C: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, apocalyptic means “Revelatory; prophetic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in apocalyptic?
| Letters | 11: A-P-O-C-A-L-Y-P-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is apocalyptic?
Apocalyptic appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce apocalyptic?
- UK /əˈpɒ.kə.lɪp.tɪk/
Apocalyptic has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-apocalyptic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of apocalyptic
- apocalyptics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apocalyptic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Revelatory; prophetic.
- 2
Catastrophic; disastrous.
- 3
Portending a future apocalypse (disaster, devastation, or doom).
- 4
Catachresis for apoplectic.
He was apocalyptically furious.
noun
- 1
One who predicts apocalypse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apocalyptic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | apocalyptique |
| German | apokalyptisch , Apokalyptiker |
| Portuguese | apocalíptico, apocalítico , apocalipticista, apocaliptista |
| Spanish | apocalíptico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does apocalyptic come from?
Borrowed from Latin apocalypticus, from Ancient Greek ἀποκαλυπτικός (apokaluptikós, “revelatory”), from ἀποκάλυψις (apokálupsis, “revelation”), from ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalúptō, “to reveal, uncover”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).